10 Key E-Learning Trends for 2015

It’s that time of the year again, and no, we don’t mean office parties or writing our letters to Santa – I’m sure you are super organised and have that fun task completed already! It’s at this time of the year, when we take stock on what’s likely to be occurring for the coming year ahead and predict what the 10 biggest E-Learning trends of 2015 will be.

We think it’s pretty fair to assume that E-Learning is no longer a new concept!

The development of effective instructional design and online pedagogical practice as well as time and cost savings means that digital learning is here to stay. In fact, research company Global Industry Analysts estimate that the market value for E-Learning will reach a colossal $107 Billion in 2015.
So what’s in store for the coming year then? Some of the ‘trends’ you will find popping up also feature from previous years, so technically they may not be a new trend, but we’ve kept them on our list as some of them have been slow to adopt and still hold a solid presence and form the topic of many a conservation by the water cooler.
So, in no particular order, the top 10 E-Learning trends for 2015 are:

1. Mobile learning
Making it onto our list year again! Market Research firm Ambient Insight in their 2012-2017 Worldwide Mobile Learning Market Report predicted the five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the mLearning market to be 18.2% and estimated global revenues would be at $12.2 billion by 2017. A mobile consumer report by Google and Ipsos MediaCT found that 80% of users won’t leave home without their smartphone. This level of market penetration coupled with a global digitisation effort reinforcing the indispensibility of mobile devices necessitates the consideration of mobile learning in every L&D strategy.

2. The use of video
With the increase in popularity of mLearning and the startling statistic from Google and Ipsos MediaCT that 67% of smartphone users watch video, and 14% use video at least once a day, it comes as no surprise that the use of video in E-Learning is on the rise. Accompanied with an influx in the use of digital storytelling as an educational tool, videos are a fun approach to creating bite-sized and engaging E-Learning modules.

3. Tin Can API
Following on from an incredible year in 2014, Tin Can API is likely to continue to grow in popularity and adoption in 2015. Tin Can is a Learning Record Store (LRS) capable of tracking a learner’s progress as they engage in traditional, formal learning as well as informal, social learning. Tin Can is set to overtake SCORM as the go-to industry standard LRS.

4. Big data
Most L&D departments are required to quantitatively prove the worth of their learning strategies to stakeholders with accurate statistics and in-depth information. As well as demonstrating the effectiveness of digital learning, the increased adoption of big data will allow E-Learning administrators to personalise learning content, provide timely motivation and test the effectiveness of various learning theories and strategies.

5. Gamification
In the Ambient Insight 2013-2018 North America Mobile Edugame Market Report, it was estimated that with a CAGR of 12.5%, the revenue for game-based mobile learning products in North America alone will be $410.27 million by 2018. Growth in the use of game mechanics is fuelled by the expectations of digital age students to be entertained and have content delivered in interesting and attention-grabbing ways.

6. Augmented Reality
In the fast-paced world of technology, it can be easy to overlook the repercussions of individual technological advances. Augmented Reality’s (AR) ability to effortlessly overlay the real surroundings of a learner with virtual images that can be interacted with enables us to create E-Learning that is more interactive, engaging and entertaining than ever before. The emergence of affordable and therefore widely adoptable AR devices such as the Oculus Rift means that 2015 could be a landmark year for learning using AR.

7. In-house content authoring
Technical advances, cost savings and a wider selection of rapid authoring tools means that L&D practitioners at all levels of technical capability can create their own E-Learning content. An indicator of the growing potential of authoring tools lies in the release of Articulate Storyline 2 and the increased functionality that comes along with it. If you want to build in-house capability and take advantage of serious cost savings, read our recent blog ‘What are Authoring Tools and which one is right for me?’

8. LMS
With organisations increasingly keen to monitor both formal and social learning, Learning Management Systems (LMSs) are set to be a big trend for 2015. Forecasts show that Learning Management Systems will grow at a rate of 25% for the next 5 years, reaching $7.8 billion in 2018.

9. Learning as a lifestyle
The L&D sector as a whole is shifting from thinking about organising individual learning events to creating learning campaigns. In 2015, organisations will be looking for new ways to connect with their learners through social, informal and creative methods that transform learning into a lifestyle rather than a compartmentalised activity.

10. Leadership training
In their Global Leadership Forecast for 2014-2015, talent management consultancy Development Dimensions International earmarked learning without practical application or relevance to the job as one of the main barriers to leadership development. With many business looking to invest a large proportion of their L&D budget in leadership, 2015 has the potential to be a year when online leadership training comes to full maturity.